The University of Evansville baseball team overcame a slow start at the plate to rally past Tennessee-Martin for their sixth straight victory, winning 6-3, in a non-conference match-up Wednesday night at Charles H. Braun Stadium.
After falling behind 1-0 in the opening frame, the Aces’ bats ignited in the fourth inning. The rally began, when with a pair in scoring position, a passed ball got passed the Skyhawks catcher allowing sophomore first baseman Tanner Craig to race home with the equalizer. Next, freshman designated hitter A.J. Fritz would send a single through the left side of the infield, bringing in fellow freshman Danny Borgstrom, giving Evansville the lead, 2-1. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, junior shortstop Craig Shepherd delivered a clutch two-out RBI single, scoring Fritz and adding to the Aces’ pad, 3-1. Finally, senior centerfielder Nate Reeder would cap the five-run frame, launching a 2-run double to center, plating both junior catcher Ben Komonosky and senior leftfielderMatthew Jones, putting UE in the lead, 5-1, after four innings.
Meanwhile, freshman reliever Sam Steimel, who took over for fellow newcomer Shane Gray, who tossed the first two innings, tossed a scoreless third and fourth frame, putting him in line for his first collegiate victory. Yet another freshman, Garrett Presko, would take over from there, tossing two more scoreless frames, while striking out four in the process.
Evansville would tack on one more run for good measure in the fifth, when A.J. Fritz hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season, making it 6-1 UE after five frames.
UT-Martin would cut the Aces’ lead down to three in the eighth inning, but senior closer Austin Allinger came in to put out the fire, striking out a pair while tossing a scoreless ninth, picking up his team-high fifth save of the season.
The win improves Evansville’s record to 15-9 on the season. The loss drops Tennessee-Martin’s mark to 11-17.
Up next for the Aces is a big weekend showdown for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference, as Dallas Baptist comes to town for a three-game series, beginning Friday night at Charles H. Braun Stadium. First pitch is at 6 p.m.
